The future isn’t just coming; it’s already here. Winton Wong ’22 doesn’t want to simply watch innovation unfold — he wants to help build it.
An Unexpected Direction
Thirteen years ago, Wong moved from China with his family, settling in Portland, Oregon. A fan of the Portland Trail Blazers, he learned that one of the team’s players, CJ McCollum ’13, had graduated from Lehigh. Curious, he began researching the university and quickly discovered its strong reputation. When it came time to apply to college, Lehigh rose to the top of his list.
“I stumbled upon the industrial engineering program by accident,” he says. “I didn't know it existed before I started at Lehigh, but I wanted a degree that was interesting and gave me stability.”
During his junior year, Wong interned at Amazon and later moved on to Tesla. After graduation, however, he decided to take a different kind of opportunity: time for himself. His internship ended on a Friday, and by the next Monday, he was boarding a flight to London.
He traveled across western Europe before taking a break to attend two Taylor Swift Eras Tour shows. He then continued on to Australia and New Zealand. The journey gave him time to pause, explore, and reflect before beginning the next phase of his career.
Not long after, Tesla offered him a full-time position, and he accepted. While he found that traditional industrial engineering wasn’t the right fit, the experience led him to the company’s automation and controls team. For two years, he worked on automation manufacturing equipment projects, integrating hardware and software, data systems, and preventive maintenance initiatives.
Then, another opportunity arrived.
Inside the Robotics Revolution
A company focused on developing autonomous robots for both industrial and consumer use through AI reached out to Wong. The chance to move from a large corporation to a startup, and from cars to robots, immediately caught his attention.
“When you work with a startup, you have more influence on how systems are designed,” he explains. “I like the opportunity to make things happen rather than being stuck in a mold.”
Today, Wong works as a manufacturing execution system and controls engineer. In this role, he creates and maintains the systems that build the bots, solves operational problems, and helps teams make data-driven decisions.
While he doesn’t work directly on the robots themselves, his work plays a key role behind the scenes. By developing the processes and data systems that support manufacturing, he helps ensure the robots can be built and tested effectively.
“With technology like this, the opportunities are endless,” he says. “Consumers will ultimately decide where it adds value. Realistically, that could be in many different places.”
Wong sees enormous potential for robotics to improve lives, from assisting with everyday household tasks to performing dangerous jobs such as underwater welding. At the same time, he emphasizes the tremendous amount of work required to bring such technology to market.
Pursuing Possibility
At heart, Wong sees himself as someone who pursues opportunity wherever it leads. His philosophy echoes the lyrics of one of his favorite Taylor Swift songs: “You're on your own, kid — yeah, you can face this.”
Confident and forward-thinking, Wong embraces challenges without hesitation. Still, he never takes his success for granted.
“I try to stay involved with Lehigh as much as possible,” he says. “I love giving back whenever I get the chance to mentor.”
Each spring, Wong speaks with MBA students, sharing insights from his career and offering advice on navigating emerging industries.
His message to them is clear.
“AI is accelerating productivity in ways we’ve never seen before,” he says. “But the real question is: What can we do with it? AI isn’t going away, so we should think about how to take advantage of it and keep moving forward.”
